Basic Film Elements
Basic Terms
Shot- One continuous piece of film footage, ending with an edit, or cut to the next
shot.
Sequence- A series of shots combined to represent a discrete set of actions or a
coherent narrative section.
Scene- Similar to a “sequence,” a series of shots combined to represent a set of
actions happening within the same time and place.
Motif- Anything repeated more than a few times in a film. A motif can be visual
(an image or cinematic technique), sonic (a sound or piece of music), or rhetorical
(a word, phrase, metaphor, etc.).
Categories of Analysis
Cinematography- A term used to define the ways in which the camera captures
the shot. Under the heading of cinematography, we speak of such things as the
different lenses used by the camera, how the camera frames the shot, the angle of
the camera relative to the action, and how the camera moves.
Categories of Analysis
Editing- Refers to how the individual shots are spliced together. The norm here is
“continuity editing,” in which shots are put together to achieve narrative
continuity—to make the action appear to flow logically and naturally from shot to
shot.
Categories of Analysis
Mise-en-scène- Literally meaning “put into the scene,” this term refers to the
arrangement of actors and objects in front of the camera. Setting, lighting,
costuming, and acting are aspects of mise-en-scène.
Categories of Analysis
Sound- Refers to both the sounds that come from the scene itself, such as spoken
dialogue or ambient noise, and the sounds that are imposed on the scene, such as
voice-overs or musical scores.
Diegetic Sound- Sound produced in the world of the film, taking place within the
narrative (dialogue, sound effects, etc.).
Audience Difference
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Other Remakes
Film Analysis Paper
Film Analysis:
You will watch Cast Away directed by Robert Zemeckis and then analyze the film’s conception
of personal struggle and identity (how it represents these things in its semiotics, narrative
structure, cultural context, mise-en-scene, and ect.) alongside two scholarly sources. You will
write a 4 (full page min.) -6-page essay that assesses these concepts.
How will I grade this?
Content (Analysis, Thesis, Parts of the essay)
Flow (Transitions between paragraphs and writing techniques)
MLA Formatting (Works Cited Page, use of sources, In-text citation, 12pt. TNR)
Grammar
Page Count (At least 4 Full pages)